I prefer to stay away from alcohol, as much as possible, because if you are candid, as you get older, any guilty “pleasure” can become faulty. I have written something relevant here, and don’t want to contribute to the ranking. However, if I am choosing, from time to time, to drink something, I am going primarily for beer, as it is both a cooling drink, and with low % of alcohol. Also, the beer culture in many places it reaches almost art-level status. I am not here to explain about beer history, as the internet is full, but I would like to talk about some beers I’ve tried during my travelling experience. One per country, but the relevant ones.

Bernard; The Czech Republic

First, I have heard about this beer from a Hungarian colleague, and started trying it, and the experience is not disappointing. On the contrary, when we’ve been to Prague, in 2022, we had an ultimate experience at Beer Spa Bernard! The beer itself is really good, refreshing, but also with a rather strong taste, but it is usually a typical Czech beer experience. If you drink more than few samples, you might become very easy joyful. In any case, it might not be the best beer from The Czech Republic, but it is for sure one of the best I’ve tried, and a very interesting brand of itself, with a strong linkage with the mentioned spa, I wrote about previously, and which I strongly recommend.

Oechsner; Germany

Even if the Czechs are beer development world leaders, Germany stays competitive. Of course I’ve tried a lot of the German beers, but Oechsner stands out not because of the taste alone, but mainly because of the experience. It is from a local town, Ochsenfurt, the kind of place were you don’t go to visit, unless you have business to do. I had, beginning of 2019, I found it very interesting to be there, and this experience will be documented in more detail, at a point in time. I remember having here Oechsner, alongside some local goodies. The biggest take away: if you go to a German small village, seek and try the most local beer you can find.

Tuborg; Denmark

You can’t go to Denmark and don’t try Carlsberg or Tuborg. In 2020, I’ve learned in a guided tour thru Copenhagen’s channels that at some point, part of the town had beer available, instead of tap water! That is insane, of course. The true experience, though, was in Vejle, when I was willing to have a beer to take: “Can I drink on the street?”, I asked the clerk: “Of course! We do it here all the time!” I did, and I was thinking of a conversation with a cab driver, in Kolding, same Denmark, trying to learn what is his favorite beer brand: “Heineken!” Wtf?! A Dane likes Dutch beer, like in all American movies. “But I rarely drink, if I have at least two days in a row free, because I can’t drink in the evening, and smell the next morning”. Wow, that was something I never heard before, in Romania, for example. I did enjoyed my Tuborg while cruising Vejle, and I can tell you for sure the taste it has, does not resembles in any way to the local Tuborg from Romania, and that is reflected in the very cheap price.

Mack; Norway

Norwegian beer is not that famous, and on top of this is much more expensive to drink alcohol anywhere here, comparing to Denmark even, as I have explained here, but the taste is not at all bad. In fact, Mack, with its origins from Tromsø, and it became one of my favorite beers. Even if Norwegians have other good brands, being at the Ølhallen beer museum and brewery, the Northern most in the world, it brings some additional flavor on the experience. Water is also a key component, and the water from this part of the world is significantly better than in many other places.

Windhoek; Namibia, but… South Africa!

It is maybe the single beer I am talking about from another country than the one in which I drank it. While being at Hard Rock Cafe Cape Town, I saw “Windhoek” in the menu, because I was looking for beer. Now, that is a name for the capital city of Namibia, a place I am dreaming of for many decades, and from which I never been closer. I find it interesting to try this at that specific moment. I can’t say it is awesome, but when you are thirsty, it works very good, and I can’t say it is the worst I’ve tried. Apart from this, in South Africa, you rather try a wine, because, you know, the Dutch legacy…

Piton; Saint Lucia

It is a surprising good local beer, a Caribbean pilsner, under the “wing” of Heineken. It has the Corona color type, and their refreshing taste is unforgettable, if you spend the day in the sun, and enjoy some signature seafood on Anse Chastanet, or Sugar Beach, at the very foot of the Piton peaks, the name which borrowed its name to the mentioned beer. It is maybe not as good – or rather as famous as Bounty Rum – but it is for sure the best idea when you want to get rid of the drought.

Seybrew; Seychelles

Takamaka rum is even better than Saint Lucian’s Bounty, and Seybrew is not necessary at the level of Piton, just to compare two similar countries, from a cultural point of view. Being on a tropical island, it is very likely you will need to refresh yourself, and even if water is the best option, you can’t ignore beer altogether, especially if your time spent there is limited, and in many occasions unrepeatably. Seybrew was a decent partner for our experience, but it had an extra flavor, as in the exact same time when we were in our honey moon in Seychelles, May 2025, there was the FIFA beach football World Cup.

Urpiner; Slovakia

If Czech beer is so good, I was wondering how it is in neighbor Slovakia. In 2019 – 2020, I’ve been to this country several times, and I have tried Urpiner, one of the signatures beers. I can’t state it is as good as Bernard, for an example, but neither is disappointing. To enjoy some time and a burger in Banska Bystrica, as an example, goes very well along with some Urpiner. Even during winter time.

Argo; Georgia

Georgia, like South Africa, is a famous wine destination. But, of course, me, being a beer fan, rather than a wine tester, I took advantage of being in the capital city, Tbilisi, and tried some wine, yes, but mostly beer. Argo is the best example. It was enjoyed on the top of the citadel, and that made it even special. I can’t say Georgian beer is great, but neither is disappointed. Rather I would mention it as better than you might expect to have in this kind of territory, where grapes are “kings”. If you are not very pretentious, but still like to try new beer, in new countries, you can go for Argo 100% if you arrive in Georgia.

Coral; Portugal

Madeira is one of my favorite places to be, and this is maybe why I enjoyed this beer so much, as it is local. I don’t want to say it is a bad drink, but neither is exceptional, rather average, but it cools you down quickly, especially after a long day of wandering. It is not the same as Piton, but it can be compared to Saybrew. It is an islandic comparison, to be more specific. I made this ranking quite random, and you can imagine that Coral can’t be put in the same picture as Bernard, but, in the end, the beer goes very well with your thirst, but also with the place you are in, when you enjoy them.

Pilsner Urquell; everywhere!

This is the bonus topic, but my favorite beer, at least when I am in Romania, is Pilsner Urquell. Not only it is the original pilsner, but it is also one of the very few beers coming from abroad not licensed to be brewed in Romania because, oh, uh, having Romanian Staropramen, Tuborg, or Carlsberg is not the best idea. So then I drink, very rare, truth being said, Czech Pilsner Urquell. It is a best one to freshen up your senses, from time to time, only!